Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) utilize a powered mechanism (e.g., an electric blower) to draw ambient air through an air-purifying element to remove one or more contaminants from the ambient air. PAPRs are generally designed to provide respiratory protection against atmospheres with solid/liquid contaminants (e.g., dusts, mists, etc.), vapors and/or gases above certain safety levels by reducing the contaminant levels below certain safety criteria. For example, the safety criteria can specify that the concentrations should not be immediately dangerous to life or health and that the atmosphere contains adequate oxygen to support life. The air-purifying elements are generally used for a predetermined period of time and then discarded to avoid a potential breakthrough of a contaminant, which results in the disposal of an air-purifying element having significant remaining capacity.